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IRVINE — UC Irvine sophomore Phil Ferragamo threw seven scoreless innings and Jimmy Litchfield finished off the Anteaters' third shutout of the season Sunday as the 'Eaters won, 6-0, to complete the Big West Conference-opening baseball series sweep at Anteater Ballpark. Ferragamo, making just his second start of the season, allowed five hits while walking one and striking out three to improve to 3-2. Litchfield surrendered just one hit and struck out four to notch his first save of the season.

UC Irvine senior Trent Baxter and sophomore Mitch Wise were named third-team All-American by the Assn. of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches for the 2011 season. Baxter, a senior driver, had 55 goals for Coach Marc Hunt's squad, which finished 17-12 and was ranked No. 5 in the final Collegiate Water Polo Assn. national poll. Wise, a second-team All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation performer, led the 'Eaters with 70 goals from his driver position. Wise, who also earned MPSF All-Tournament recognition, ranked second in the conference with 2.41 goals per game.

IRVINE - Stanford University is known for its unofficial tree mascot. But it was host UC Irvine that went "tim-ber," after an opening-set collapse in a Mountain Pacific Sports Federation men's volleyball match Friday at Bren Events Center. The No. 2-ranked Anteaters, who had won five straight matches coming in, took control early, seizing Game 1 leads of 13-9, 17-12 and 22-16. But the No. 4-ranked Cardinal, which also came in on a five-match win streak, survived eight set points for a 32-30 triumph.

IRVINE - Though the quantum leap of improvement expected by its coach is still somewhat down the road, the UC Irvine men's volleyball team took a flying leap toward confirming its status as one of the title contenders in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation on Friday night. And the most high flying of the No. 2-ranked Anteaters in their 25-17, 23-25, 25-21, 25-16 MPSF victory over No. 5-ranked USC on Friday was junior outside hitter Kevin Tillie. Tillie, who made his second start and has been coming back from an ankle sprain that sidelined him early in the season, had a match-high 18 kills to lead the winners (7-2, 3-2 in conference)

The UC Irvine men's volleyball team will enjoy an exciting week in its schedule as the Anteaters play host to Pepperdine on Wednesday and the highly regarded USC Trojans on Friday night. Both matches are at 7 p.m. at the Bren Events Center. This is an opportunity to watch the talented UCI men's team (5-2, 1-2 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation), ranked No. 2 in the nation, and two high-ranked teams. Pepperdine, ranked No. 6, and fifth-ranked USC always are the biggest draws when they play at UCI. Pepperdine is 5-1 and 4-0 in MPSF play.

IRVINE - First it was the uniforms, then two-thirds of the lineup. But after the top-ranked UC Irvine men's volleyball team fell for a second straight night to No. 2-ranked BYU, it is change on a fundamental level that is forthcoming for the Anteaters. Following up a sweep on Friday, the Cougars (4-1, 2-0 in conference), prevailed, 25-22, 25-19, 15-25, 20-25, 15-9, to thoroughly establish themselves as the top team in the nation, as well as the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation.

The novelty of having a national championship contender has long worn off for the UC Irvine men's volleyball program. So, the fact that this year's veteran-laden team was picked to finish second in the sport's elite conference, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, prompts neither excitement, nor concern from 10th-year coach John Speraw. "I think we'll win more matches than we lose and I think we'll be in the mix in the end," said Speraw, who guided UCI to NCAA championships in 2007 and 2009.

The UC Irvine men's volleyball team was picked to finish second in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. UC Irvine was in second with 112 points and four first-place votes. BYU earned the top spot with 115 points and six first-place votes. Stanford was third (92) and UCLA was fourth (90) with each team garnering a first-place vote. Long Beach State and Northridge tied for the six spot with 68 points apiece, while Pepperdine's 62 points were eighth.